1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to animal training systems, and, more particularly, to transmitters for animal containment systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Animal training systems are known for containing a pet dog, or other animals, within a defined region without the need for a physical barrier such as a fence. An example of such a system includes a wire loop buried around the perimeter of an area, which has the two wire ends energized by a transmitter power source. The animal has a collar with a receiver which senses the signal radiated by the wire loop and provides a correction signal to the animal when the animal is within a predetermined relatively short range of the wire loop. The correction signal can be a tone, a vibration, and/or an electrical stimulation, for example. The animal learns to avoid the correction signal by staying within a perimeter defined by the wire loop signal, and the need to fence the area to contain the animal is thereby eliminated. Animal training systems also include avoidance systems which have a transmitter which emits a signal, and when a dog wearing an appropriate receiver, for example, is within a predetermined distance of the transmitter the receiver provides a stimulus to the animal thereby training the animal to avoid the nearby vicinity of the transmitter. Avoidance and containment systems can be integrated so that a single receiver can receive both avoidance and containment signals.
Examples of other animal training systems include a remote training transmitter hand operated by a human trainer, and which communicates with an animal worn receiver to provide training stimulus. Bark control collars are also known where a collar worn receiver may receive audio or vibration signals from a microphone or transducer attached or connected to the receiver unit or the collar, and provides appropriate training stimulus to reduce barking.
Various wire loop containment systems for controlling the whereabouts of animals are known where one or more continuous wire loops are routed along a path to define a boundary. In some cases the wires are run above ground, in others they are buried. Also, a containment loop can be installed indoor, and there may need to be a difference in the correction signal emitted by the outdoor loop versus the indoor loop, as there may be more serious consequences to the animal for leaving the outdoor containment area, or vice versa. A transmitter connected directly to the loop typically generates an amplitude modulated (AM) signal which is conducted by the loop and causes an AM radio signal to radiate from the loop at a predetermined carrier frequency which is typically in the range of about 2 kHz to about 20 kHz, and signals can be coded using on/off keying. A frequency of the signal can be selectable at the transmitter for each loop, and other transmitter functionality can be selectable.
The transmitter functionality needs to be configured for appropriate operation of the containment system. One way to configure the operation is to have a switch for each of the different functional categories, which switch can select the appropriate value for that particular category. This type of system has several disadvantages. Firstly, as the number of features and functions grow, the number of switches also has to grow, which can be costly and aesthetically unattractive. Another problem is that there may not be enough room within the transmitter or on the transmitter circuit board for a switch for each functional category, particularly as the number of system features and functions grow. Further, as the number of components increases, i.e., the number of switches increases, the reliability of the system tends to decrease. Yet further, adding a switch for each additional feature and/or function requires design changes to the transmitter, which are costly and time consuming.
What is needed in the art is a transmitter for an animal training system which has a minimal number of switches to configure transmitter functionality, and which switches are adaptable to increasing transmitter functionality.